Our Mission & Primary Objectives

The GSM Mission
A Medical School for Regional, Rural and Remote Australia
Our Primary Objectives

The Graduate School of Medicine Mission

The mission of the GSM is to produce excellent medical practitioners with a commitment to patient-centred, evidence-based, reflective and cost-effective medical practice who have the capacity and desire to contribute to the enhancement of health care for patients in all geographic settings, but particularly in regional, rural and remote communities.

This mission is achieved by delivering an outcomes-focussed, clinically-guided curriculum that is complemented by clinical skills laboratory learning experiences, and the provision of community-based, clinical educational opportunities. These clinical experiences include placements in general practice and specialists’ surgeries, large and small hospitals, and community agencies.

The curriculum is delivered via a range of educational strategies including large group, small group and independent learning activities, supported by a planned “spine” of learning based on cases. The GSM is committed to identifying and creating stimulating and supportive educational environments that facilitate student learning. Local medical and other health practitioners are extensively involved in all aspects of the educational, clinical and research and governance components of the programme.

A quality assurance approach ensures that the School’s mission is achieved in an effective and efficient manner.

A Medical School for Regional, Rural and Remote Australia

Regional, rural and remote Australia is experiencing a shortage of doctors. The GSM aims to address this problem through a selection process that is positively biased towards students who have demonstrated ties with regional, rural and remote Australia (including dedicating up to three places annually for Indigenous Australians). These ties are nurtured and strengthened throughout the medical degree.

Students spend significant time during their training undertaking long term clinical placements in hospital, primary care and community health facilities and with regional and rural doctors, developing an understanding of what it means to practice medicine in these communities. These clinical experiences reflect the realities of practicing medicine in regional, rural and remote areas, while the curriculum places the ‘problems’ that students must solve in the context of these areas.

While the GSM focuses on training doctors to work in regional, rural and remote areas, graduates receive a broad-based training that ensures they can pursue any career in medicine, including all the medical specialisations.

Our Primary Objectives

The primary objectives of the UOW GSM are to graduate medical practitioners who:

• are able to function safely and effectively as interns under supervision;
• demonstrate professional skill, knowledge and behaviours suited to further development in a full range of medical specialisations;
• with further training, are capable of functioning as independent practitioners in any geographical setting;
• comprehend and undertake evidence-based medical practice and health promotion in a cost effective manner;
• are able to function comfortably and competently as practitioners in technology-supported environments;
• demonstrate an understanding of, and commitment to, ethical practice and social responsibility;
• function as effective members of a clinical care team adopting, where appropriate, leadership roles;
• assist patients to understand the determinants of their health and to contribute to the management of their health or illness effectively;
• demonstrate a commitment to, and possess the skills required to, engage in lifelong learning;
• understand and appreciate the potential of primary medical care and health promotion to contribute to the improvement of the health of Australians, particularly those living in regional, rural and remote areas;
• appreciate the unique aspects of being a practitioner in regional, rural and remote areas and are aware of the nature of practice patterns and the role of practitioners who have chosen to practice in these areas;
• understand the value of, and are equipped to participate in, quality assurance and improvement processes;
• are able to interpret, and with further training, plan and implement research; and,
• have attained the generic Attributes of a UOW Graduate.